Woolen boot



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(No Model.)

W. H.. DODGE 8v R. D. 0. SMITH.

UNITED STATES PATENT erica.

VALLACE H. DODGE AND ROBERT D. O. SMITH, OF MISHAVVAKA, INDIANA.

-WOOLEN BOOT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 479,251, dated July 19, 1892.

Application tiled October 18l 1887. Serial No. 252,266. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, WALLACE H. DODGE and ROBERT D. O. SMITH, of Mishawaka, in the conntyof St. Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Woolen Boots; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and accurate description of the same.

Woolen boots are now made and sold in great numbers in the colder parts of the countrybecause theyare much Warmer than leather boots. I'Ieretofore they have been made of felt or a combination of a knit web covered with felt or with a knitted foot and felt leg. Recently they have been made whollyof knit fabric subsequently fulled and partially felted until stiff and hard enough to stand up like a stiff leather boot. The purposes of a boot require that the leg portion shall be stiff, so as to sustain itself around the calf of the leg to protect the same. This function constitutes the distinction between what are termed shoes and what are known as boots, the former being foot-coverings only and the latter being foot-coverings with attached selfsupporting leg-covering extensions. While it is desirable that the leg part shall be stiff and self-supporting, it is'equally desirable that the foot part shall be flexible and easy to the movements of the foot.

Our invention is designed to produce in a woolen boot of continuous integral structure, knit, braided, or woven, a stiff leg part and a soft and iiexible foot part.

Our invention therefore consists in a boot having a foot portion fabricated of non-felting woolen yarn-that is to say, yarn spun and doubled-and the leg part fabricated of felting-Wool-that is to say, of yarn loosely spun and interknit into the leg in such quantity that when fulled it will become desirably sti and hard without the employment of felted bat.

it is also caused to felt together to an extent which entirely obliterates all visual appearance of stitches; but when the yarn has been more closely twisted and doubled before knitting the individual yarns are somewhat felted in, but the separate yarns do not to any appreciable extent vfelt together and the fabric instead of becoming stiff and hard retains the characteristic appearance and exibility of knitted fabric.

A is the leg portion of our boot constructed of material in condition to felt and rendered self-supporting and stiff by being fulled and felted.

B is the foot portion of the same boot retaining the characteristic appearance and iiexibility of a knitted or interwoven fabric, because constructed of material which is incapable of felting, because its fibers are bound together by twisting, as hereinbefore set forth.

The thickness and stiffness of the leg will depend upon the quantity of stock interwoven and in a condition to felt. The thickness and flexibility ofthe foot portion will depend upon the quantity of stock interwoven and in a condition to resist the felting treatment, and the thickness of both leg and foot may be increased or diminished by increasing or diminishing the size or the number of the threads employed.

In the fabrication of this boot the leg part is formed first by knitting or other mode of interweaving yarns, which for this purpose must be spun very loosely, barely twist enough being given to enable the yarn to sustain itself during the several mechanical handlings to which it is subjected. The loosely-twisted yarn extends down to the ankle and preferably down around and under the heel to the location of the usual heel-seam. It is then replaced with yarn more closely twisted and preferably doubled, and this is contin ued through the foot. Just before reaching the toe the loosely-twisted yarn may be again substituted for the hard-twisted yarn and the toe finished with the saine. It is well than the final size.

interwoven yarn in the form of a mammoth stocking it is subjected to the action of a fulling-machiue, and thus shrunken to the desired size, those parts which are formed of feltingyarn being at the same time and by the same operation felted together and rendered hard and stiff, being thoroughly consolidated, while that part which is fabricated with hard-twist ed or doubled yarn will have been thickened and consolidated without being felted` or ren dered stiff. The shrunken boot is finished on tree and last and maybe provided with a heellift. This boot, being integral in allits parts and wholl y composed of spunyarnfispossessed of strength due to its interwoven texture, and therefore it is stiff and strong Without being rigid and inflexible. It has no seam or joining capable of separating. Vhen the heel portion is extended under thefoot with looselyspun yarn, as shown, it aiords a direct support to the stift' leg portion without increasing the rigidity of the ankle, and when the toe ist made of loosely-spun felting-yarn it affords a strong protecting-box for the toes of the wearer without increasing the rigidity of the foot portion.

sole portion, additional yarns, either doubled or single twist, may be run into the needles during the making ot' those stitches which constitute the bottom or sole portion of 'the To secure thickness to the foot, so that when fulled and finished the bottom or sole will be thicker than the upper. Having described our invention, we claim- 1. A woolen all-knit boot whereof the leg portion of loosely-twisted yarn is, after fulling and finishing, hard and stift' and the foot por- Ltion of hardtwisted yarn is exible, as set forth.

2. Aboot whereof the leg and foot portions constitute one continuons or interwoven fabric, the former portion being composed of soft loosely twisted yarn felted together thorof hard-twisted. yarrr relatively unfelted and flexible, as set forth.

3. An all-knit boot whereof the leg and foot portionsareonecontinnousknit fabric,.the former extending down and including the heel, being composed of soft loosely-twisted yarn felted together thoroughly and the latter being composed of hard-twisted yarn nnfelted and flexible,` as set forth.

4. An all-knit boot consisting of astiii felted or fulled leg and a liexible or unfelted foot portion, substantially as set forth.

WALLACE H. DODGE. R. D. O. SMITH. Witnesses:

W. B. I-IosFoRD,

WILL W. DODGE.

oughly and thelatter portion being composed 

